brainpopfandomcom-20200223-history
Antibiotic Resistance/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim is reading Eat Pray Love at the kitchen table. Moby enters and stands beside him. Moby is wearing a hazmat suit. TIM: What the heck are you doing in Mom's hazmat suit? MOBY: Beep. TIM: What do you mean, I'm unclean? Moby hands Tim a sheet of paper. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, on the news; I keep hearing about superbugs that medicine can't kill. I'm scared. Can you tell me more? From, Spencer. Sure thing, Spencer. But first, I don't have a superbug, so you need to take that silly suit off. Moby removes the suit's mask. TIM: Anyway, let's start at the beginning. Bacteria are the most abundant form of life on Earth. An animation shows bacteria. TIM: These single-celled organisms are everywhere, from the depths of the ocean to our own intestines. Side by side images show an ocean and a human intestinal system. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Most bacteria are harmless. And many are even beneficial. They help us digest food and stuff. But a few of them are just no good. An animation shows good and bad bacteria. TIM: If they get inside your body, they can reproduce and cause nasty diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and strep throat. An image shows a sick teen with a thermometer in his mouth. He is sitting in a doctor's office. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Up through the first half of the 20th century, bacterial infections often killed people. But then, scientists started developing drugs called antibiotics. Antibiotics kill bacteria, or stop them from reproducing. A black and white image shows a scientist examining the contents of a petri dish. TIM: Millions of lives were saved by antibiotics, and deadly diseases suddenly became manageable. But there was a downside. A black and white image shows a doctor and nurse reading a report. Behind them are patients in hospital beds. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Remember how I said that bacteria have been around for billions of years and how they exist practically everywhere on Earth? Well, that means they're good at adapting to lots of different conditions. An animation shows bacteria reproducing. TIM: Bacteria reproduce at an incredible rate. Some can make new offspring every 20 minutes. Every time a bacterium reproduces, there's a chance that its offspring will inherit genetic mutations, or changes in the code that governs its development and growth. An image shows a strand of DNA. TIM: Since bacteria reproduce so often, these mutations happen all the time. Most of the mutations don't have much of an effect, and some hurt the bacteria. An image shows a weak bacterium. TIM: But sometimes genetic mutations help bacteria survive better in their surroundings. An image shows a strong bacterium. TIM: Now, guess what kind of change might make bacteria stronger and more durable. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yep. Through mutation and natural selection, bacteria can develop the ability to be unaffected by antibiotics intended to kill them. This is called antibiotic resistance. These new, improved bacteria can create lots of copies of themselves. Images show strong bacteria copying themselves. TIM: And in no time at all, a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can spread through a neighborhood, a school, or a hospital ward. Images show strong bacteria, a suburban neighborhood, a school, and a hospital ward. TIM: Recently, a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called MRSA began making people sick throughout the world. These kinds of so-called superbugs can cause infections that are difficult to treat. And they've led to tens of thousands of deaths over the last few years. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, most scientists believe that these bacteria developed resistance because antibiotics have been overused. Since antibiotics worked so well for so long, people sometimes took them when they really weren't needed. An image shows a bottle marked antibiotics. Then the bottle is crossed out by a large no symbol. TIM: And cows, chickens, and other livestock were put on a steady diet of antibiotics throughout their lives, whether they were sick or not. An animation shows three cows. Each is eating a pile of pills, which symbolize their antibiotic-heavy diet. TIM: Antibacterial agents have also been put into ordinary household products, like soap, toothpaste, and hand lotion. Images show a tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, and a jar of hand lotion. TIM: These antibiotics kill the weakest bacteria and allow strong antibiotic-resistant bacteria to grow and thrive. An animation shows a weak bacterium next to a strong one. The weak bacterium fades away. The strong one becomes even larger and stronger. MOBY: Beep. Moby puts the mask portion of the hazmat suit back on. TIM: Well, there's no reason to panic. You can do a lot to avoid antibiotic-resistant bacteria just by using your common sense! First of all, don't use unnecessary antibacterial products. They're made to make you feel safer, but they don't generally work any better than regular products. Maintaining good hygiene is another simple thing you can do, so wash your hands frequently with good old soap and water. An animation shows a person washing his hands with soap and water. TIM: Bacteria often sneak into your body through cuts and scrapes. So if you get a cut, clean it out and put a bandage on it as soon as possible. An animation shows a cut in a person's arm being covered by a bandage. TIM: Finally, if you do come down with an illness that requires antibiotics, follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. It can be tempting to stop taking an antibiotic as soon as you feel better. An image shows a sick teenager talking to a doctor in her office. TIM: But finishing the full course ups the chances of killing all the disease-causing bacteria. Plus, it reduces the risk of resistance. An image of a calendar appears, with dates marked to indicate a full course of antibiotics. TIM: Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to my book. MOBY: Beep. Moby produces a fireplace lighter and sets the book on fire. TIM: Aaahhh! Moby! MOBY: Beep. TIM: No, no! That book did not contain any unnecessary antibiotics. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Just trying to protect me? Moby gives Tim a hug. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, fine. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts